Notification of Fraud Resulting in Long Distance Charges
These hackers are redirecting voicemail pages to long distance telephone numbers. By taking the following steps to safeguard your voicemail and/or PBX systems from this potential threat you may reduce your risk to fraudulent charges. D&E Communications cannot be held responsible for any fraudulent charges . We encourage you to contact your supplier immediately to protect your business. At your request, D&E Communications will place an international long distance block on your telephone lines. The international long distance block is designed to block all calls outside the United States as well as disallow calls to an international operator. For more information regarding international long distance fraud, please review the following information provided by the Federal Communications Commission:
Is My Private Branch Exchange (PBX) Safe From Fraud?
No. Businesses using PBX equipment may become victims of toll fraud through the remote access features of their equipment. Remote access features allow business employees who are away from the office to call the PBX. After entering an authorization code, the employee receives a new dial tone for placing an outgoing call. The call will be billed to the outgoing telephone line connected to the PBX. This feature creates the opportunity for unauthorized users to breach the security of your business phone system.
If I Use An Authorization Code On My PBX, How Can I Be A Victim?
Unauthorized people may use computers to call a PBX and test random authorization codes until the correct one is found. Calls then can be made that will be billed to your PBX. If an incoming 800 line has been used, you will be billed for the 800 calls also.
Can Voice Mail Systems Be Used For Toll Fraud?
Yes. Some voice mail systems may have features that provide a link to a PBX remote access feature or that give a caller a dial tone after the main voice mail function has finished. These features can be used to make outgoing calls that will be billed to the voice mail user or PBX owner. Unauthorized people may attempt to use a voice mail system to arrange third number billing to the telephone number served by the system.
Are Incidents Of Toll Fraud Higher During A Particular Time of The Year?
Yes. The risk of toll fraud increases during vacation and year-end holiday seasons. Businesses should take exceptional care at these times to avoid additional risks.
What Steps Can Businesses Take To Help Protect Their Systems?
- Contact your equipment vendor. They may be able to provide information to help you determine what sorts of security systems are available to protect your equipment and telephone service from toll fraud. They can also provide information about monitoring services that are available to help you quickly detect unusual usage.
- Disable or otherwise restrict the remote access, voice mail, and other features of your telecommunications system that could allow outgoing calls. This should be done throughout the year, especially on holidays, weekends and at other times when employees will not need them. Consider whether these features will be required at all for business purposes during the holiday season.
- Change passwords and authorization codes used for remote access, voice mail, and other purposes. Unauthorized users may have already discovered your current passwords and codes , and may be waiting until the holiday season, when staffing is at a low level, to use the passwords and codes for fraudulent calls.
- Monitor calling through your telecommunications systems on a regular and frequent basis, but especially during the holiday season. Frequent monitoring is one of the best ways, at any time of the year, to quickly detect unauthorized calling.
- Route incoming calls to a live operator or receptionist rather than to an automated attendant during the holiday season. An operator or receptionist may be able to assist in detecting unauthorized calls during this time of increased fraud and risk.
- Take steps to secure your authorization codes on a permanent basis. Regularly remind employees of the need to keep codes secure. Remove codes from voice mail bulletin boards; do not write codes on credit card receipts; do not provide codes to unknown callers; and delete all unneeded codes, including default codes installed by the equipment manufacturer.
For more information on long distance fraud, please visit these web sites for more details: www.ftc.gov; www.fcc.gov; www.fraud.org